Veterans Day

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brotherhood, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, veterans, Veterans Day

This day on which we remember all those who have served and are now serving our country in the armed forces has a complicated history. While I am not a student of the intricacies of our country’s history in wartimes, and did not live through the Great Wars ( WWI and WWII), I am the daughter of a WWII veteran whose stories were never about the war itself but always about the brotherhood that existed during the war and remained vivid throughout the rest of his life. There was never any talk about the tragedies of those days or what we now know as post-traumatic stress. The women who served during these wars were known mostly as nurses whose service was somewhat in the background – but so essential to the troops.

Things began to change after that. Beginning with the “police action” in Korea and brought to the forefront in Vietnam, questions of “Why are we there??” surfaced and politicization in new ways caused polarization as we wondered – and still do – about our participation in conflicts on the other side of the world. We have learned the downside of being a world power, and those making the decisions about that participation are not often those who are sent to serve.

As we face the repercussions of war in the modern world, we are called to support those who serve, especially those who have been physically, mentally or spiritually damaged in the process of serving. Whether or not we support the premise of the events, we need to see veterans as individuals serving our country and see to their needs going forward.

And we need to pray for veterans and their families who have been damaged by war. Regardless of our politics, we can all pray as individuals for individuals and families who will never be the same. Yes, that is something we all can do, and that is a debt we owe.

The Whole Song

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America the Beautiful, brotherhood, God Bless America, heroes, liberating, Memorial Day, patriot, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Songs and pictures have a way of inspiring emotion and passion in ways that the spoken word often fails to do. I find this true especially of prayer as well as in patriotic lyrics and the faces of those who serve in branches of our military – especially on holidays like today. The sung prayer of Irving Berlin named God Bless America surely helped people hold hope through World War I and before that America the Beautiful reminded Americans of the great gift of the land and the country that is ours.

I’m a fan of going beyond the first verse of any song. I get frustrated when hymn singing is truncated, leaving praise or messages about correct behavior hanging, incomplete. I say that with regard to patriotic songs as well as Church hymns. For instance, the fourth verse of How Great Thou Art takes us all the way to heaven but leaving off at the end of verse three can be deflating at best. (Just my opinion, of course.)

On this particular holiday, the best example of my argument is the aforementioned America the Beautiful. The refrain that begins each time with “America, America” is only the same in verses one and four. Great prayers are put forth in verses two and three, graces that we need as much as “brotherhood” (or sisterhood!). As a matter of fact, the entire verses are worth repeating here…so read on and see if you don’t agree.

1. O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain. For purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain… America, America, God shed His grace on thee and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.
2. O beautiful for Pilgrim feet, whose stern impassioned stress a throroughfare for freedom beat across the wilderness…America, America, God mend thine every flaw. Confirm thy soul in self -control, thy liberty in law.
3. O beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife, who more than self their country loved and mercy more than life…America, America, may God thy gold refine till all success be nobleness and every gain divine.
4. O beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years, thine alabaster cities gleam undimmed by human tears…America, America, God shed His grace on thee and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.

Amen. God bless us all. Amen.